The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-06-29
Mr.. Blossom Visits His Relations.


a genealogy of their illustrious family
Our friend. Mr. Blossom, who is living
very comfortably in his western home,
duly purchased copy and spent hours
in its perusal. His breast swelled with
pardonable pride as he traced out
branch after branch of the family tree
81 tell you, Sue" he said to his wife,
the Blossoms are big family. l
find I'm related to almost everybody in
the United States and Canada. And,
Just to think, there isn't a tenth part
of all these relations of mine that I've
ever seenl"
"Well, you've lived along, if you
haven't" snapped Mrs. Blossom. She
didn't encourage this glorification.
81 amt going to do it any longer"
said Mr.. Blossom, solemnly. 1t isn't
the thing for man to be like stranger
to his own flesh and blood. I'm going
CONSUMING, Sue, down East, and I'll
hunt up my relations"
In pursuance of this resolve Mr.. Bios
som set out one fine morning, carrying
large valise and with the genealogy
protruding from his coat pocket,
to 90 cousining. He was away six
weeks. Mrs. Blossom received various
brief missives, postmarked at places
she had never heard of and couldn't
find on the map, and she inferred that
Thomas must be having a splendid
time.
On his return she expected that he
would tell her all about it; but he seemed
peculiarly reticent. When he had eaten
his entire supper and said not word
about his g relations +" she could stand
it no longer, and opened with:
"Well, did you see all of the Bios
soms?"
saw all wanted to of 'em," said
Mr.. Blossom, shortly.
Why-yl" calculated Mrs. Blossom.
" thought"
eyes, so did l." said Mr.. Blossom,
{" but I've changed my mind"
He settled back in his chair, put his
feet on the fender and gave an account
of himself as follows:
"The first place struck was Andrew
Blossoms. They live in Scipio, Shia-
wassee county; that is, they're two
miles out on a farm. Andrews wife
was Malvina Hart before she was mar
ried. She used to be handsome girl,
with red cheeks, but you'd never dream
it now.
"They dragged me out of bed at
half-past four O'Clock in the morning
to eat breakfast. Then the women
folks kept on working and the men
sat around and waited for daylight
They have seven children and keep
four hired men, but Malvina doesn't
have any hired girl. She and the oldest
daughter, fifteen years of age, do the
work That family kept on the jump,
every blessed one of them, from morn
ing till night.
" Malvina said she guessed I'd have
to look after myself considerably, for
Andrew had to be out working with
the men; and Andrew said he would
take me down to Scipio to see the vii
lage, but the horses were all busy
drawing wood. / looked around for
some papers to read, but Malvina said
they didn't take anything but the
Prairie Farmer, and didn't get time to
read that. l thought perhaps I'd get a
chance to visit with them little in the
evening. But about seven O'Clock,
Just as thought they'd have to settle
down in peace for minute, what did
they all do but pack up and 60 to bed!
1T didn't look just the thing for me
to be sitting around in the parlor doing
nothing while they were all working
so hard. So | politely offered to help.
And after that they kept me working
like niger, till | was so stiff and
lame 1 could hardly move. First l
drew ice, then l sawed wood and
threshed oats, and the last day we
shingled the barn. Andrew said he
supposed city folks just enjoyed that
sort of thing, but he'd done it so much
twas no treat to him.
g | was half asleep all the time | was
there from getting up so early o. morn
ings. Then | slept in room that had
four panes of glass out, and / caught a
wretched cold that lasted three weeks.
/ stayed only four days. / believe /
should have been carried away dead if
I'd stayed any longer. | asked them
to come and see us, and Malvina and
Andrew said they hadn't time to 90
visiting, but their oldest boy was going
to Dakota in the spring and perhaps
he'd stop a week or two with us on his
way out.
'After left Andrews 1 went right
through to New York. There / put
up with the Rustlers. You know Maria
Blossom married Hiram Rustler. He
was only dry-goods clerk when she
married him, and everybody thought
she was sold; but he's worth two OF
three millions now. They live in a
brown-stone front, with something
less than dozen servants. Stylishf
/ should think they werel To my
mind they carry it rather far.
"They had breakfast at eleven
o'clock, and they didn't half of 'em get
up to that. Then they had dinner
along in the night sometime, and sa
up till most morning. I'd been get
ting up so early at Andrews that
couldn't sleep any after four O'Clock il
the morning. Then all the evening 70
be so sleepy couldn't keep my eye'
open. / didn't dare eat hardly any
thing at the table for fear i shouldn'
do it right. l was always using thu
wrong spoons and things. Then IL
slip out and buy crackers and sardines
and eat them up in my room to keel
from starving.
" maria didn't want to let on that
came from a small place, so l haile'
from Chicago while | was there. An,
she always introduced me as distdn
relative; and there / was her owl